Last time I said I was going to improve the Traveller Subsector Mapper I had written to show communication lines. Well, now it does. But I’m still not happy. My unhappiness just moved on.

I’m now looking at some sort of algorithm that will “simplify” the network. Take a look at the sample subsector. I’d like this algorithm to delete the connection between Bemaat and Atcevein and the connection between Esgeed and Maxereis. Those I think should be obvious. Less obvious would be to delete the connection between Diare and Esgeed and between Atcevein and Esgeed.

I’m still struggling, however. What should the exact elimination rules be?

For every code amber and code red system, eliminate all but one communications route. The one and only communications route from such a system should go to the system with the best starport, the closest one, with the most people, and the richest, with no code amber or red.

This would make the following changes:

Labeveri will only connect to Sogeeran – good

Diare will only connect to Atcevein – good

Esgeed will only connect to Usmabe – good

Azaxe will remain unchanged since it only has one connection

Onbebior is not actually connected to anything, it’s just in the way

Or I could try something else.

Every system will keep the shortest communications routes it has.

Biveer and Labeveri will remain connected but loose connections to Sogeeran – good

Bemaat will remain connected to Diare and loose the connection to Sogeeran; Sogeeran will have none left – good

Atcevein will remain connected to Diare and loose the connection to Bemaat and Azaxe – not so good; Azaxe wants to remain connected… I think that’s the same problem that Sogeeran has. It wants to connect to all the neighbours two parsecs away, but they all have partners that are but one parsec away.

Comments

I’m just going to say I so wished your Traveller mapping apps (and similar technology) had been available way back in the day when I first scored my Trav LLBs. You know - instead of plinking around with the TRS-80.